"Triassic Park" (National Poetry Month poem-a-day) Day 15

Written by Bruce A. Pandolfo
4/15/2017
Dear superintendent, I hope this package reaches you
I know this may seem crazy but it's something that I need to do
My wife and I eyed the signs “don't take pieces of the trees with you”
Saw others' superstitious letter rolled my eyes “how unbelievable”

Years ago, my wife and I toured the Triassic Park
We were only courting then, it was a unique chance to bond
Scientists, we hiked a bit, chatted, charmed, cast a spark
pocketed “petrified wood” grabbed the rocks, I had her heart

I crafted a ring from the stones to show our timeless bond
proposed shortly afterwards, teary smile and nod, tied the knot
It's vile and odd, ten years we're vexed fearing it mightn't stop,
doesn't sound like science talk, I send this hoping that I'm absolved!

The flight we got for our honeymoon crashed but we survived,
Lucky to be alive, but next? we conceived a surprised,
See my wife and I never wanted kids, our tubes were tied,
inexplicably, conflicted, she contemplated taking juniors' life

The second we saw the sonogram, our second thoughts were snuffed,
Soon as we started saving, our lab closed times were tough,
money was tight, sold the house, late thirties living with parents,
embarrassed we'd soon be parents too... until the miscarriage

The horror of those nights, the weeping and the madness
the brutal sense of guilt, the mourning and the fasting,

Nearly through my Masters when my university went bankrupt
Great..stuck with loans and no degree what a universal hate fuck
with lady luck, luckless, my lady loves being a daily drunk
looked at her finger, wondering “are we part of Karma's pay stub?!”

ever since we took the stones, we never broke so many bones
never stubbed so many toes, never hit so many lows
Never been to so many wakes, never felt so vexed, afraid
incensed, we sense a hex is placed,
our penance paid near every day
we've never caved to bet on faith but just in case
maybe those thieved stones are placebos but anyway..
our conscience bears such heavy weight,
what's sent is encased to set it straight,

we know pilfering the petrified wood is a heinous act,

we paid for that, we're petrified, would you please take and place it back?


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